FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT NIKLAS HJALMARSSON - PAGE 4

The race to the finish gets under way in earnest for the Blackhawks this weekend on the West Coast. When the Hawks face the Kings on Saturday at the Staples Center for the first of back-to-back games in Southern California, it will be the first contest of a 20-game stretch to conclude the regular season. Standing in sixth place in the Western Conference with seven points separating them from ninth, the Hawks are in position to reach the postseason, but nothing is assured after uneven play has left them with a 4-6-0 record over their last 10 games.

DENVER — Nick Leddy doesn't seem like he would be the most aggressive player on the ice. He speaks softly, so softly that it's hard to hear him just standing next to him. But the Blackhawks see talent and tenacity in the 19-year-old defenseman, so much so they have kept him on the roster and paired him with Niklas Hjalmarsson after Brian Campbell sustained a sprained MCL that will keep him out four to five weeks. Perhaps Leddy would be in Rockford in the AHL right now if Campbell didn't get hurt.

DETROIT — In a season filled with inconsistent play, the Blackhawks have picked the right time to find some symmetry to their game. The Hawks followed their strongest effort of the season with another gem as they edged the Red Wings 2-1 Sunday at Joe Louis Arena. It was the Hawks' third consecutive win and second during a three-game trip that could have a big impact on their postseason hopes. The formula for success paralleled that of Friday night's 2-1 win over the Senators in Ottawa with excellent goaltending by Ray Emery, stifling defensive play and just enough offense.

They hit the ice while sitting at different ends of the Western Conference playoff spectrum. The Blackhawks have their sights set on securing the top spot and the Stars are fighting for their postseason lives. When all was said and done Monday night, it was the Hawks who displayed desperation when the game was on the line and skated to a 5-2 victory over Dallas before a crowd of 21,986 at the United Center. The win was the Hawks' sixth in a row and gave them an NHL-high 70 points with six games remaining.

DENVER — There will be a couple of different groups of Blackhawks taking part in the banner-raising ceremony Saturday night at the United Center. Aside from all the new faces, there will be those who will enjoy the moment and relish the pomp and circumstance of the proceedings. Second are those returning players who say last year is over and just want to get on with the game against the Red Wings. Last are those who say they are in the latter group, but when they see all the trappings of the evening — the red carpet, the sentimental highlight video and the adoring crowd, they will drop their facade and maybe crack a smile or shed a tear.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has a pretty vivid memory of Antti Niemi from last season's Western Conference finals. "Beating us," Wilson said of the former Blackhawks goaltender who Thursday signed a one-year, $2 million deal with San Jose. "It's etched in my brain. " With that in mind, it didn't take Wilson and the Sharks long to circle Niemi after the Hawks let the goalie who helped lead them to their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years — including a four-game sweep of the Sharks during the title run — depart as an unrestricted free agent.

A tiresome situation has developed for Duncan Keith and the rest of the Blackhawks' defensemen. With the preseason injury to Brian Campbell and a one-game suspension to Nick Boynton that caused him to miss the opener, Hawks defensemen — Keith in particular — have had to play an exhausting number of minutes in the early stages of the season. It's not going to get any easier in the short term with the reported two-game suspension of Niklas Hjalmarsson for his crunching hit Monday night on the Sabres' Jason Pominville.

Daniel Carcillo has been in worse situations than what the Blackhawks were facing when they took the ice against the Red Wings on Saturday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals. The veteran Hawks winger was a member of the Flyers in 2010 when they fell behind the Bruins 3-0 in the Eastern Conference semis and roared back to win the series. The Flyers' run ended against the Hawks in the Stanley Cup Final. "We just never gave up," said Carcillo, who signed with the Hawks in 2011.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said he was worried the Blues, freshly eliminated from the playoffs, would play with reckless abandon and potentially cause problems for the Blackhawks. There was no need for such concern — at least for half the game. The Hawks defeated the Blues 6-5 Wednesday night at the United Center, but not before almost blowing a five-goal lead that it held late in the second period. Nonetheless, two points is two points, as some Hawks players said after the game, and the Hawks (51-22-7)

On the evening of April 4, 2010, the Blackhawks skated off the ice after capturing their first Central Division title. A little more than two months later, they were hoisting the Stanley Cup following their first championship in 49 years. On Friday night, the Hawks won their second Central crown - and last, as the division will disappear with NHL realignment next season. It remains to be seen whether they will follow the same path and bring the Cup back to Chicago in the next couple of months, but with the regular season winding down, the Hawks have a similar mindset as the '10 group in believing they can overcome any obstacle in their way. "It's that feeling you get when you win a lot of games," captain Jonathan Toews said.